How many will Florida take in 2014?

I touched on this topic back on Wednesday, but I thought the subject of how many players Florida plans to sign might have gotten buried under the recruiting board that it was posted with. So, let's give this subject its own separate post.

I've long held that I expected Florida to sign a full allotment of about 25 players in this class, as UF currently has room to sign 16 in the 2014 cycle, and attrition of nine players to the NFL Draft, injury and transfer doesn't seem totally out of the question. This could still prove to be the case. But as time goes on, and I watch the board shrink for Will Muschamp and his staff, I'm beginning to change my tune. Now I'm projecting 23 as the target number for Florida in this class.

Tight end is still a major need, and I expect the Gators to grab a second prospect there, in addition to present commitment C'yontai Lewis. There is still a need for skill prospects, and I would expect Florida to grab three more of those types. Again, with so much versatility in the prospects remaining on the board, I think the Gators will simply look to sign the three best they can get and let the positions the skill commitments play at the next level simply sort themselves out later.

Florida currently has a total of six linemen in the fold, and I expect that number to get to 10 when all is said and done. As much importance as Will Muschamp places on the line-of-scrimmage, more than 10 linemen in this cycle would not surprise me. However, 10 is the projection for now, and figures to be a baseline projection for the number of linemen UF will aim for in most recruiting classes.

The numbers don't look bad for UF at linebacker. There is a loss of one scholarship player after this year as Darrin Kitchens exhausts his eligibility. I do ultimately expect Florida to grab a true linebacker in this class, and that is where the ninth signee would come from in my projection.

This, of course, assumes that Florida will hold on to their other 14 commitments in this class to date. Expecting that to happen is always a risky proposition. J.C. Jackson has been a little willy-nilly throughout the entire process. And the Gators will have to continue to recruit Dalvin Cook and Ermon Lane all the way until they sign on the dotted line.  But in lieu of the fact there is no really strong evidence to support any of the current pledges are seriously wavering, we'll just go for now on the notion that UF will keep the guys they have for now, moving forward.

Also, for anyone expecting Andre Debose to return on a medical hardship. Maybe it happens, maybe it doesn't. Only a handful of people can say one way or the other. But for now, there are indications to suggest Debose's career at UF is done. So I don't expect the available number of scholarships (presently at 16) to drop. At this point, it's only going to rise between now and Feb. 5. The only question is, by how much?

Keep one other fact in mind. 2014 has proven to be a somewhat weak cycle for the state of Florida as it relates to recruiting. Next year, on the other hand, is shaping up to be very strong on paper. The Gators are right in the thick of it for many of the state of Florida's best for 2015 as well. UF needs to be wise about filling its needs for this class while leaving as much room as possible for what could be a lights-out class for the Gators next year if things play out according to plan.

Will Grier's Madden-like numbers

It was just another ho-hum game for Florida QB commit Will Grier (Davidson, N.C.) over the weekend. The 6-foot-3, 180-pound quarterback completed 18-of-22 passes for 370 yards with six touchdowns against one interception in a 45-0 win for Davidson Day over the Community School of Davidson on Friday night. It was the Patriots' lowest scoring output on the season to date through five games.

 Highlights from UF commit Will Grier's junior season at Davidson Day (Davidson, N.C.)

Grier and Davidson Day appear to be coming up on the real meat of their schedule, with arguably the three toughest games on their schedule on tap within the next four games, beginning with a trip to Marvin Ridge of Waxhaw, N.C. (the general area in which former President Andrew Jackson was birthed, just in case you didn't know) on Friday.

With the regular season now half-over for Grier, it's interesting to note what he's done so far this season. It really is like something out of a video game. In some respects, he's taken a step back on the passing side of things from his junior year, although it was going to be nearly impossible to top the numbers he put up in 2012. He's completing 71.1% of his passes this fall (down from 78.3% a year ago). Although, it should be noted that his completion percentage is improving as the season moves along, and he's connected on 48-of-62 passes in his last two games (77.4%).

Grier has also tossed six interceptions in 149 passing attempts this season. That number doesn't sound too bad, until you consider he threw six picks in 414 attempts for the entire season a year ago. Grier's interception rate in 2013 (4.0%) is up considerably from both his sophomore (2.5%) and junior (1.4%) campaigns.

However, Grier has also been tossing touchdowns at a ridiculous rate. He's thrown for 31 scores through five games, and is currently on pace to wind up with as many as 79 on the season (assuming Davidson Day plays a full total of 13 games, as they likely will). That would even usurp his incredible run in 2012, when he connected on 61 touchdown strikes, but would still fall short of the national single-season record of 91, held by Corey Robinson of Lone Oak (Ky.) from 2007.

Of course, this goes back to the issue of Grier's numbers not being recognized in the national record books. Grier's Davidson Day squad is under the governing body of the NCISAA (North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association), as opposed to the standard NCHSAA (North Carolina High School Athletic Association, the equivalent of Florida's FHSAA). Since the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) only recognizes the official records of the NCHSAA, and the NCHSAA doesn't officially recognize Grier's numbers, as his school isn't a part of the NCHSAA, Grier's name will never grace the "official" high school record books.

I hope you got all of that. But Grier's place in the national pantheon of great prep signal-callers should be unquestioned at this point, even if his numbers aren't officially recognized.

He's currently on pace to pass Chris Leak's state record of 185 touchdown passes (accomplished at Charlotte Independence High School between 1999-02, good for second all-time nationally). However, the national record of 219 (credited to current Missouri backup Maty Mauk, who attended Kenton High School in Ohio from 2008-11) will be tough for Grier to match (he would need 70 touchdown passes in a maximum of eight games). Likewise, Chris Leak's state record of 15,593 yards will be tough to top as well (Grier would have to average 525 yards per game the rest of the way to beat that mark). Ultimately, Grier should "unofficially" finish up as one of the top-five most prolific passers in national prep history. Behind the Mauk brothers, Leak and West Virginia native J.R. House, but ahead of such luminaries as Brock Berlin, Garrett Gilbert, Tim Couch and Josh Booty, among others.

It should also be noted that Grier is running the ball even better this year, piling up 519 yards and six scores on just 31 carries. His 16.7 average per carry is nearly double his output from a year ago (8.8).

Barring injury, Will Grier will go down as one of the most prolific quarterbacks in the history of high school football. Even if he doesn't play another down at the prep level, his legend is already quite secure. But considering how many names litter the top of those all-time high school passing lists (the aforementioned Mauk brothers, Leak, Berlin, Gilbert, Couch and Booty, along with Greg Paulus, Drew Tate and Jamarcus Russell), Grier's prep accomplishments do not guarantee even a high degree of success at the college level. How Grier fares at Florida will be determined by a completely different set of circumstances than the ones that have allowed him to reach such heights in Davidson, N.C. over the past two-plus seasons (and counting).